Tag Archive for 'winter'

Summer and Winter Squash Sibling Rivalry

Published
by
Pierre
on June 11, 2008
in Bistro Vegetable Garden, Rose Moradian and Wine News
. 0 Comments

Gardener Rose Moradian has written on this serious and contentious rivalry in the Bistro Restaurant & Wine Bar Blog. Rose is the creator of our organic vegetable garden at the Lafond Vineyards.
She writes…

In terms of vegetable growing, much emphasis is made on the number of days needed to produce. Many of the same vegetables need different times to produce. Thus, “Early” tomatoes, “Baby” beets, etc. In terms of squash, Summer and Winter squash need to be planted around the same time. What are some winter squashes, you may ask. Pumpkins, Kabocha, Hubbard, Spaghetti, Butternut, Acorn and Buttercup squash are some, to name just a few.

Here is a link to good visual website for more. Some winter squash are blue, like the Hubbard. “Kaikai” is another, known for its striped outer hull and delicious black seeds, full of healthy oils and vitamins! I’m growing most all of these at the Lafond Vineyard for the Bistro. Winter squash needs 100+ days to bear a full size fruit. Summer squash, like Zucchini, Crookneck and Patty Pan squash, to name a few, need only 50+ days to produce.

To read the Rest of the article…

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Cold Stabilizing Chardonnay at Santa Barbara Winery

Published
by
joanie
on June 2, 2008
in Articles on Wine and Vineyards, Chardonnay, Joanie Hudson and Santa Barbara Winery
. 0 Comments

We are witnessing winter being brought back to the cellar in the beginning of summer here at the winery.  Fourteen of our stainless steel tanks are filled to capacity with 51,000 gallons of our 2007 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay.  The wine is currently going through the cold stabilization process.  During this step of the white wine making process, the wine is chilled down to 32 degrees F in order to remove all tartrates (also known as “wine diamonds“).  These tartrates form when the wine gets too cold.  While they are natural sediment and completely harmless, they can sometimes be cause for consumer dissatisfaction.  So in order to prevent this, winemakers force the tartrate crystals to form at the winery bringing them out of solution so that they can be filtered out before bottling.  The thermal mass of 51,000 gallons at 32 degrees chills the entire building.

Our Assistant Winemaker Ryan tells me that the next step is to “seed the wine with cream of tartar,” which gives the tartrates something to grab onto as they fall to the bottom of the tank.  Once they do this, keeping tanks at 32 degrees, the next step is to filter the wine at .2 microns, removing the tartrates from solution.  Once filtering is completed, the wines will be warmed up to over 55 degrees and the bottling process will begin, leaving us with a “crisp, clean, wonderful Santa Barbara County Chardonnay for a very reasonable price,” says Ryan.  Until then, and while the icicles continue to form on the outside of the steel tanks, I will be wearing my mittens in the winery.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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Kohlrabi

Published
by
Pierre
on May 15, 2008
in Bistro Vegetable Garden and Wine News
. 0 Comments

Bistro Restaurant Garden at Lafond Vineyards
Rose Moradian writes in the Bistro Restaurant & Wine Bar Blog about this unusual vegetable she is growing. More common in Europe than in the US she describes its many possibilities. Vegetables from this garden will be available to visitors to the Lafond Winery during the summer. We will select a basket of garden ripe vegetables which will, of course, vary during the season.

They like temperatures under 75. You could grow them year round here, just plant them under a larger plant for cooler temperatures in the heat of the summer. They aren’t picky about soil and are insect resistant, making them a champion in the garden! They don’t need a lot of fertilizer or attention. You can forget about them, tucked away under a canopy of zucchini and get a great surprise in the fall! Alien plants! They come in purple or white and some varieties can grow to 5 pounds!! I like mine small and firm.

The texture is crisp like an apple, and are delicious cold. The flavor in for the winter harvest is nutty and slightly sweet, the warmer months tend to give them a bit of a spicy bite. I like my Kohlrabi cold , raw,unpeeled and sliced into cubes or slivers with splash of rice vinegar and parsley…

To read her full article which includes preparation and a recipe click here.

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Summer Pink

Published
by
joanie
on May 8, 2008
in Articles on Wine and Vineyards, Joanie Hudson, New Releases and Rosé of Syrah
. 0 Comments

Mass market American “blush” wines that were popular in the 1970s are a far cry from the dry and refreshing Rosés being produced today in California, Spain, Italy, and southwest France.  These pink wines are not to be confused with the cloying sweetness of grocery store boxed wines.  The resurgence of dry style Rosés in California has resulted in the production of a variety of styles that are a playful alternative for the summertime.

But what makes these wines pink?  How are they different from red and white wines?  I hear these questions often.  Red wines get their deep color and tannin from being fermented on their skins to extract color and tannin.  White wines are produced by immediately pressing the juice off of the skin to minimize contact between the two.  The next step is to ferment the freshly squeezed grape juice (aka the must).  During Rosé wine production, the juice is left in contact with the red skins for a short amount of time (anywhere from one to three days) resulting in its characteristic pink color.  Fermentation continues as a white wine, usually carried out in stainless steel tanks.  Rosés can be made from any variety of red grape — Syrah, Grenache, and Pinot Noir are popular here in Santa Barbara County.

Rose wines possess characteristics of white wine, making them popular as temperatures rise.  Stainless steel fermentation results in pleasantly light and crisp fruit qualities.  They are extremely versatile — popular by the glass as well as to accompany summer meals.  I personally think that Rosé wines can e drank all year round, especially in California because they also complement a variety of fall and winter root vegetables.

Our 2007 Rosé of Syrah is the fifth vintage Bruce McGuire has produced with grapes from the Hilltop Ranch vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills.  It is made from 100% Syrah grapes.  Plump strawberry and orange peel aromas are emerging with an extremely refreshing mid-palate fruit explosion and crisp acidity.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Santa Barbara Winery Tasting Room Manager

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Spring in the Vineyard

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on February 5, 2008
in Pinot Noir, Vineyard and Wine News
. 0 Comments

Today it felt like Spring. After several weeks of rain the Sky was clear and the day was warm. We should see budding in the Pinot Noir by late February. We had a very small harvest in 2007 due to an early frost which damaged the vines. With the ample rain we have had this winter we would normally be expecting a better than normal harvest this year.

The problem is that this years clusters were formed last spring and they may have been damaged by that frost. David Lafond, who is our bean counter — our cluster counter – predicts fewer clusters but larger than normal. The vines attempt to balance production and vigor.

We saw the first Poppy of the year which is always a good sign that Spring is not far behind. Here is a view of the vineyard today — still bleak — but the hills are green.

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Chateauneuf du Pape Tasting

Published
by
joanie
on January 11, 2008
in Articles on Wine and Vineyards, Joanie Hudson, Wine News and Wine and Food Pairing
. 2 Comments

My wine group got together this week for a Chateauneuf du Pape tasting.  Eleven people, eight wines, and more than enough cheese made for a wonderful night at my house.  Just like with our last Piedmont tasting, it was really interesting to be able to taste all of these wines from outside of California side by side.  

This method of tasting is so educational and really helps me develop my palate.  It allows for memory retention through repetition and highlights flaws or abnormalities. Chateauneuf du Pape is a particularly interesting appellation because of its unique terroir (rocky soil) and strict control over production.  

Located in the Southern Rhone wine region in southeastern France and home to Grenache dominated blends of up to 13 different grape varietals, of which Syrah and Mouvedre are two of the most well known.  

Grenache is a medium bodied red grape known to have soft tannins and aromas of red fruits (think raspberry and strawberry).  It is usually blended to add acidity, structure, and color.  The wines from the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation are high in alcohol (requires the highest minimum alcohol level, 12.5%, of any appellation in France).  

Dry, rugged, rustic, earthy, herbacious - these are adjectives that can be used to describe these wines, whose silky yet puckering tannins make this wine fantastic with food.The intrinsic minerality in these wines is due to the fact that the vines are planted amongst rocks and pebbles.  This is a serious case of the effect of terroir on how the wine tastes and smells.  There is a layer of stones present in the soil of the vineyards called galets (”pebbles”). 

When considering food pairings for Chateauneuf du Pape style wines I recommend hearty Fall and Winter dishes that will not overwhelm the wine while at the same time matching its firm yet soft tannic structure.  Think tied bundles of Provencal herbs and roast lamb.  We had an array of foods to go with the wine, but I would have to say that my favorite pairing was a lentil and butternut squash soup.  

Other favorites were  roasted polenta and toasted baguette slices with a sweet quince paste.  I would advise against too much garlic or spice because your palette will not be overwhelmed and it will take away from the wine.  I made this mistake by putting too much garlic on the bruschetta.  

I could barely taste the first wine because of this.  Also, for high alcohol wines such as these (defined as higher than 12%) avoid salty dishes which can make wine taste bitter.  Keep in mind that tannin is not only found in grape skins, but also can be found in, for example, the skin of walnuts.  Match tannin with tannin and incorporate something like walnuts into your cooking.  Match the herbaceousness of the wine with herbaceous food.

Our wild card wine was the 2005 Santa Barbara Winery Grenache/Syrah.  This very approachable wine exhibits a fruitier quality, being that it is relatively young and from California, than those grown in the Southern Rhone.  It was very popular in the tasting and received second place out of the eight!  I love it with green olives and fresh bread.

Joan Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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On the First Day of December

Published
by
joanie
on December 2, 2007
in Joanie Hudson and Wine and Food Pairing
. 0 Comments

What did I do on the first day of December?

Saw a Christmas movie.

Started planning a Christmas party.

Listened to my “Best of Christmas” CD as loud as my speakers could go.

 Drank Rosé with a winter meal.

Rosé is not a wine you will see many people bringing out of their cellars in December, but maybe it should be.  Last night I had friends over for dinner.  We had an eclectic meal of roasted root vegetables with sage (parsnips, butternut squash, and sweet potatoe) and sauteed tofu with onion and a hint of garlic.  We opened two 06 dry Rosé’s - a Syrah, Grenache, Mouvedre, Cinsault blend from Curtis Winery and a straight Syrah from Santa Barbara Winery. 

The Curtis Rosé’s dry, smooth fruitiness was dominated by pink grapefruit and strawberry.  I normally would lean towards Rosé as a picnic wine for summer, but its delicate fruitiness is really a great pair for lighter fare (such as tofu) alongside heartier side dishes (such as roasted winter vegetables and sage). 

Sauteeing and roasting makes for earthy, substantially filling dishes that are perfect for winter.  Other wines that I would serve with a meal like this would be a Riesling, a high acid Viognier such as the one from Jaffurs Winery, or a Santa Barbara Winery ZCS (Zinfandel, Carignane, Sangiovese blend).

I learned something interesting last night from our assistant winemaker Ryan.  When I had some of the Santa Barbara Winery Rosé I noticed something in the nose and mid-palate that I could not put my finger on.  It was a familiar aroma, but one that I couldn’t quite grasp.  So I asked Ryan.  He swirled and sniffed, put the glass down and without hesitation said it was the rind of an orange.  He then asked me to get him another glass and some white sugar. 

We poured another taste of the wine into a new glass and added a pinch of sugar.  Swirl, sniff the first glass - orange rind.  Swirl, sniff the second glass - no orange rind.  The added sugar completely cancelled out the astringent citrus nose.  I looked at Ryan and said “you’re brilliant.”  His simple response was “I’m a wine maker.”

 Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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